Countdown
by Caranath
Summary: the Brothers race against the clock to save an innocent girl
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: **_Happy start of the holiday season Y'all! Remember me? it's been a jam packed summer for me, beginning with my sister in law's wedding in July, driving to Texas from NY with 3 yowling cats in the back seat immediately after the reception(literally) and getting used to the Texas definition of 'summer'( 110 in the shade and zero humidity or precipitation). Luckily the Texas definition of 'winter' is far less annoying. Here it is the week before Thanksgiving and it's 70 out. _

_This is a very short tale, probably no more than 5 chapters and quite probably less than that. _

**Countdown**

Joe Hardy approached the back door facing the dock so quietly his partner Joanna never heard a sound and practically jumped out of her skin when he laid a light hand on her shoulder in the darkness. Ordinarily, at this point, Joe would crack some joke about scaring her or being afraid of the dark, but not tonight. Tonight he was as grim faced as she had ever seen him, far more serious than even his brother Frank ever got, which was pretty darn solemn at times. "Anything?" he whispered close to her ear.

Joanna shook her head. "Two went in about half an hour ago. I can hear their cell phones going off every so often, but can't make out any conversation." she whispered quietly.

"So we don't have confirmation." It wasn't a question. Jo shook her head no. "Now what?" the younger Hardy brother asked.

"On my way in I saw a window with a few broken panes. I can see if I can sneak inside to get a look around."

Joe shook his head. "Too risky. They might follow through if they see or hear anything."

"Then what do you suggest?" she asked tartly.

"Draw them out here. Something that would convince all of them to come out. Are you absolutely sure there are only 2?"

"No. I only saw 2 go in but that doesn't mean there aren't more. There are a few cars around in front."

"Well why don't we take away their means of escape then?!" Joe grinned in the dark, his pearly white teeth practically shining.

"How?! Letting the air out of their tires?!" she snarked.

"I was thinking it was a little chilly out here tonight. We could use a little warmth." was the slightly impish reply.

Joanna gaped at him for a moment, then shook her head as she smiled ruefully. "Pyro." she said fondly.

"You know you love me." he said cheerfully. "Give me ten minutes." and he disappeared into the darkness.

On his way around the building, Joe sent a quick text to his brother letting him know they were in position but hadn't confirmed anything yet. Cautiously, he stepped out into the parking lot of the warehouse, making sure to avoid the lone street light. His own car was parked over by Joanna's, which had been left by the guard shack at the security gate of the Warehouse section of the Port Terminal. That left three cars, conveniently parked in a neat little row. Joe took a quick glimpse into all three, looking for any obvious signs that one of them didn't belong to their suspects. Two cars had definite signs of being recently driven, while the third looked to be abandoned, as evidenced by a slightly flat left rear tire and the amount of grime all over. Joe popped the trunk of that one and smiled in satisfaction when he found a gas can at least half full and enough rags to get the party started. A quick break in of the driver's side door and search yielded a disposable lighter buried in the glove box.

Joe then doused all the rags with gasoline before placing a few in the back seat of the abandoned car as well as one of the others, which had been carelessly left unlocked. The remainder of the rags were stuffed into the tailpipe of the center car. Then Joe returned to the other two and lit a rag from each back seat before tossing it back, allowing the pile of them to catch fire. He then quickly knelt down and lit the tailpipe pieces before high tailing it out of there back to his partner's location.

This time she didn't jump when he placed his hand on her shoulder. Instead she just gave him an inquiring look. Joe whispered softly "Any minute now." They both crouched in place another few minutes before a sharp explosion rent the air. From their vantage point behind the building they couldn't see anything except a large plume of thick black smoke rising as it rolled over into a mushroom shape. "Three, Two, One" Joe whispered as he backed away from the door.

Both of them ducked even lower as the door flew open with a bang and two men ran out cursing and made their way around the building. Joe silently thanked the architect who designed this warehouse with only one door (not counting the loading bays which faced the dock and water) and their foresight in placing it on this side as opposed to the side facing the parking lot. He further thanked the weather, which was overcast without being too chilly despite the time of year. This allowed him and his partner to follow their suspects without detection around the corner.

Both men, burly and middle aged but gone to fat and wheezing from being out of breath, had stopped short at the sight of three cars in various stages of melting, Their friends Gloria and Bruce would have called them carbecues. It took Joanna and Joe less than a minute to knock both men out from behind and secure them with the zip ties that Joe now carried with him everywhere. They would have stayed to enjoy their success, but the smoke and acrid fumes were causing them to cough, plus they had more important things to do. Leaving their victims trussed up a fair distance away from the flames, they ran back around the corner and cautiously entered the warehouse.

Joanna had a small flashlight, which she now turned on, but left it pointing down and shielded it with a hand. "I don't suppose you know where to go?" she whispered almost silently.

"Nope." Joe returned equally low. "Stick together, just in case we are dealing with the Three Stooges and not just Butch and Sundance." Luckily, like most dockside warehouses the one they were currently skulking about was littered with enough large crates and boxes to offer ample cover. By instinct they headed towards the middle of the giant room where they found a single overhead light dimply illuminating their destination. Both darted forward, only to abruptly freeze as a third figure stepped out from the shadows and pointed a gun at them. "Oh goodie. It's Moe." Joe muttered disgustedly under his breath. Joanna elbowed him to keep quiet.

The man was taller than Joe and wider than both of them together. Unfortunately, Joe noticed immediately that it was neither fat nor flab. He was solid and looked to be in fit shape. Oh well, he sighed silently. They can't all be couch potatoes. He stood tense but alert next to his partner, who mirrored his stance. "In case you were curious," Joe said lightly, "Your pals will not be joining us for the rest of this evenings' festivities."

"No matter." his voice was smooth. "It's not like you can stop me anyway."

"I was planning on doing just that, actually." Joe responded with steel in his voice. Beside him, Joanna moved slightly to her right, widening the gap between them. Two targets were harder to hit than one. Hopefully the man in front of them would unconsciously do what many did, underestimate the female.

Over the last couple of years, as Joe and Joanna spent more time together in the field, they began to notice a pattern when confronting targets. Joe was a shade over six feet tall, muscular without being stocky and had an uppercut that rivaled any pro boxer on the circuit. Jonna was slender, only five foot six on a good day and looked young. Sometimes they went for Joe, figuring Joanna would be ineffectual in a fight. Others times they went after her, thinking she couldn't defend herself. Often, when faced by several thugs, the majority would concentrate on Joe, leaving only one or two for Joanna to dispose of. Which she usually did, having 2 black belts, was working on a third and had no problem fighting dirty when the situation called for it. And then she was free to 'help' Joe( never rescue. Never ever rescue. His ego would not accept that) finish off the rest of them. As a team, they were very good together, almost as good as Joe and Frank. But Frank preferred the office portion of the job and seldom joined in field operations any more. He'd pull an occasional stake out when Joanna's family life precluded her participation, but that was about it. As a result, the Jo(e) Twins, as Sam had christened them, spent a good deal of their professional lives together and had learned to read each other's body language as well as be able to predict how things would go down. Joe swore he was always right, but Joanna acidly noticed how he never actually mentioned his prediction until AFTER the fight was over.

Today was no different. The two parties sized each other up, and when the guy with the gun made his move, it was towards Joe. Joe grinned that smug grin he was so famous for. This was going to be easy. That half step in his direction was all Joanna needed to pull her own gun into position and fire. That she chose to aim for the thug's gun hand and not a knee, shoulder or center mass was just her way of showing off. The man yelped in surprise and pain as he dropped his gun within range of Joe's foot, which he used to skate the gun across the floor before delivering the coup de gras. The man dropped like a stone. As Joanna holstered her weapon, Joe knelt down to secure the man's hands, now slick with blood, behind him with a zip tie. Leaning in to the man's head, he whispered "Always stay on a lady's good side, Pal." giving a quick grin to his partner, Joe stood up and they both headed towards the lone chair sitting in the middle of the empty space.

They were facing the back, so could not get a good glimpse of the figure there, whom they sincerely hoped was the daughter of the District Attorney, kidnapped over a week ago in an attempt to convince her father to drop certain charges against certain unsavory characters. By tacit agreement, they split up and approached the front from either side. At first glance they both breathed a sigh of relief. It was her, and she was alive and conscious. Their second glance stopped them cold.

Tightly secured to the girl's chest was an assortment of wires, electrodes and explosives. With a timer that read fifty eight minutes.

**A/n: **_have not lost my cliff hanger touch!_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/n:** _For all my American Readers: Happy 'It's okay to overeat and make yourself sick before hitting the Black Friday Sales' Day! Fairly short chapter here, but I hope it sets up the mood and Joe's emotional state. Please pardon the naughty language. Joe hasn't had any coffee.__  
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**Chapter Two**

In a supreme effort of will, Joe did not let his face betray the horror he felt. He held up a hand, preventing Joanna from coming all the way around and seeing for herself. "Jo, would you go and call Mattheson and ask him to join us?" He kept his voice casual, but once Joanna heard him ask for the EOD expert on the Bayport Police Force she gasped and looked sharply at her partner, who was sweating more than a little and very very tense around the eyes, all while looking calmly if emotionlessly at the terrified young girl tied up in the chair. He shifted his eyes only for a second towards his partner, silently reinforcing the request. Joanna nodded and stepped outside to be able to talk more freely. At the door, she paused and looked back. Joe flashed an open hand twice, indicating 55 minutes left. She nodded and ran out the door.

Joe very slowly and deliberately came the rest of the way around so that he was facing her straight on. He crouched down on his haunches about 3 feet from her knees. "Hello, Rebecca." he said softly. "It's almost over, I promise." She was about 14, with long blond hair that was currently matted with dirt, sweat and who knows what else. Her blue eyes were not the same deep Aquamarine of his own, but more of a sunlit summer sky blue. Currently they were wide and brimming with tears, which flowed in streams down to the rag that was gagging her mouth. Her wrists were tied tightly to the chair arms, and he could see where she had rubbed herself raw trying to get free. Her shoes were missing, and her ankles similarly bound to the legs. "I'm sorry I can't untie you just yet, we have to wait for some friends of mine to show up and tell us if it is safe to come any closer. My name is Joe, by the way. And I have been looking all over for you." he smiled gently at the teen and hoped his nervousness and impending panic never showed.

He continued to speak in a low, soothing voice, talking about nonsensical stuff, just to keep Rebecca calm. "So, is Old Man Cassidy still teaching Biology?" he looked at her until she nodded her head, looking bewildered over the gag. "I had him when I was your age, way too many years ago to admit to in public. Does he still have that gawd awful ugly ass tweed jacket?" a definite snort of laughter then, however strangled. "Thought so. I expect he will be buried in that thing. Assuming he ever dies." Joe kept up the soft stream-of-consciousness rambling for several minutes until Joanna returned, a guarded look on her face. She jerked her head in a 'come here' motion, so Joe excused himself to Rebecca and stood up, wincing a little at the cramps in his calves. He walked the few feet to stand head to toe with his partner, although he kept glancing over to the girl in her chair.

"So, when will Mattheson be here?" he whispered in a voice too low to carry much beyond Joanna's ears.

Joanna swallowed nervously. " He's not coming."

"The Fuck!" Joe started off shouting before quickly clamping down on the noise and language.

"He's at the Mall. Somebody found an explosive device anchored to the bottom of a car. Guess some kid noticed it when he dropped his keys crawled under to get them he saw the bomb on the car next to his." Joanna's eyes were tight with worry. "But he told me to call Frank. Said he was the next best thing to being there himself." She laid a hand on Joe's arm. "I am going back out to the gate to bring him back here. Troy said not to touch anything until Frank can perform a visual inspection."

"Easy for him to say. That's a 14 year old innocent girl goddammit!" Joe was furious and terrified at the same time.

"Joe, calm down!" Joanna hissed. "You know he would be here if he wasn't already in the middle of something equally as important, and with far more at stake."

"Needs of the many, is that it?!" Joe muttered bitterly.

"Frank is already on his way. Maybe you should go and bring him back." Joanna suggested.

"I will not leave another girl to die like that." Joe seethed back so vehemently that Joanna looked at him askance, never having seen this side of him before. "You go ahead and meet him, I am not leaving Rebecca." He spoke with such an air of finality that Joanna got a little frightened.

But she nodded anyway and with a reassuring smile to the hostage, returned back the way she came.

Joe was alone with his thoughts. Thoughts that inexorably kept returning to the image of an explosion and a pixie like brunette with green eyes and an impish smile. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to keep it together long enough to get Rebecca safely out of harm's way.

**A/n: **_some things you just cannot move past and forget. you may able to let go to a certain extent, but it is a part of who you are. I am about to get in the car and drive to my SiL's for the Holiday. Everyone who is traveling, do so safely! _


	3. Chapter 3

**A/n: ** _Well today was a glorious day in College __football, with the mighty USNA Midshipmen extending their wining streak over the USMA at West Point to a whopping THIRTEEN STRAIGHT GAMES. Go Navy! Beat Army! in celebration of this grand event, I present to you the next exciting chapter!_

**Chapter Three**

When Frank Hardy rushed into the warehouse, his focus was not on the poorly lit bomb or the hostage it was strapped to, but his brother. He absentmindedly handed off his laptop case to Joanna, who arrived hot on his heels behind him, and rushed to confront his agitated brother. Joe was pacing back and forth in a short line, hands clenched and jaw clenched so hard that the veins pulsed, easily visible.

"Joe." Frank urged his brother to stop his frenetic actions, but Joe refused to look him in the eye or slow down his tightly controlled movements. It looked as if the blond was in more danger of exploding than the bomb. Frank stepped into his brother's way and grabbed him hard by the upper arms. "I got this. Take it easy." Joe was trembling so hard that Frank again tried to force Joe's head up but remained unsuccessful. He had to settle for moving one hand to Joe's neck, and moving closer, touched his forehead to his younger sibling's. "You need to get out of here." Frank's words were gentle and rich with compassion.

That seemed to jolt Joe out of his reverie. At long last, he looked into his brother's deep brown eyes and snapped out of his inner war. "You know I would never even think of doing that!" he seethed.

"Then pull yourself together, dammit!" Frank retorted, hoping it was enough to force Joe into recognizing the necessity of the harsh words without taking them personally. Joe looked at him, startled and a little hurt, before understanding dawned.

"You're right. Sorry." his voice cracked a little as he spoke.

"Never apologize for that, Joe. You just can't let it take over." Frank released his grip and turned to the task at hand. He quickly retrieved his laptop and within a minute had it booted up. "Eighteen minutes. Plenty of time." he smiled reassuringly at Rebecca. It took him about three minutes of consulting the laptop before he declared that it was safe to approach the girl and remove her bonds. "But you can't move yet, okay, Rebecca?" he warned her gently. "Not until I disconnect everything."

At her shaky nod and muffled "Hmm Hmmm" Frank told Joe to go ahead and undo her wrists first, then her mouth. She gagged a little as the dirty cloth was removed, and then began coughing. Joanna said "There's some water in the car, I'll be right back."

"Better?" Joe asked her softly, smiling gently at her. Even as she nodded, she began crying. "Hey, Hey, " Joe comforted the girl, standing up and coming around to lean in and place a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "Don't be afraid. We won't let anything else happen to you." he flicked his other hand in his brother's direction. "That's Frank. He's a Geek, but in a good way. He'll disarm the bomb and we can get out of here. Pizza, or burgers?"

Her sob turned into a hiccup of surprise. She turned her tear streaked face up to him and croaked out "What?!" in shock.

"By the time Frank does his thing, and we get out of this craphole, I know I am going to be hungry. Pretty sure your mother will not want to waste any time cooking me dinner, so what do you say we stop by somewhere and grab a bite? Although, Pizza takes too long and I bet you just want to get home, am I right?"

Caught between incredulity and amazement, Rebecca gave a sort of strangled half laugh, half cough.

"Ignore him, Rebecca." Joanna's amused voice came from behind where she was seated. "He's _always_ hungry and will use any excuse to bum a free meal out of anyone."

"Who _are_ you people?!" the teenager squeaked, still not sure she was safe despite the cute dark haired one carefully cutting wires and the cuter blond one grinning impishly at her. She twisted her head around and was only slightly reassured at the sight of the older woman with the gun in her hand that was not pointed at her.

"We're the Good Guys, Rebecca." the blond one who said his name was Joe promised her. "As soon as my Big Brother finishes, we are going to take you straight home. "Frank?" the blond one (_dayum he was __**really**__ cute_ she thought) asked the other one. "How ya doin?"

"You can't rush these things, Joe." Frank absentmindedly chewed on his pen as he would consult his laptop before reaching over to disconnect another wire.

"Um, Dude, the timer reads 2 minutes. So yeah maybe you should think about rushing. Just a little." Despite the light tone in his voice, Frank did not miss the thin lips and tense shoulders on his sibling. Not that the girl looked relaxed either.

"Have some faith, will ya?" Frank groused as he consulted the schematic on his laptop before choosing the final wire to cut. With a wink at Rebecca, he deftly snipped the last wire with a full 76 seconds left on the timer. "Not even close." he slipped the laptop from his lap onto the ground, rose smoothly and extended a hand to Rebecca and helped her stand up.

Her legs collapsed beneath her as she tried to stand; Joe swiftly and easily swept her up into his arms. "I've got you." he said softly as he held her close. She was shivering in fright, cold or hunger. Possibly all three.

Frank chuckled as he gathered up his equipment. "Story of my life. I do all the hard work, You get the girl." Rebecca blushed even as she pressed closer in to the warm and spicy scent. He _**really**_ was cute. And built. And those eyes. Woah.

"Be nice, or I will so tell Gloria you were ogling a younger woman."

"Maybe I'll just tell your wife you are literally picking up girls." Frank threatened.

"Oh for cryin' out loud you two." Joanna's exasperated voice cut through. "You are worse than my kids I swear." she made Joe set Rebecca down and took over shepherding the girl by placing her light jacket over the teen's shoulders and leading her away. "Never you mind about them, Dear. They just like to hear themselves talk." Jo cupped Rebecca's elbow with a steadying hand as they headed to the exit. "Let's get your father on the phone so we can tell him you are all right." at the doorway, though she stopped and turned around. "Don't forget the third suspect Joe!"

"What third suspect?!" Frank exclaimed.

"He's right ther..." Joe stopped mid sentence as he whirled around and found..nothing. "Oh Shit!" He whipped out his gun and ran out, passing the females at a dead run. "Stay put!" he yelled as he ran past. He hit the corner of the building and came around at full speed, headed towards the parking lot where they had left the first two thugs trussed up near the burning cars.

The cars were little more than blackened husks now, smoldering instead of actively burning. There was no sign of anyone else. Joe was still swearing when everyone else arrived. Joanna had a tight grip on Rebecca, her gun also drawn. Frank brought up the rear with his laptop and something else. He placed a slick, bloody zip tie in Joe's outstretched hand. "Lose somebody?" he asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Three somebodies." Joe spat in disgust.

"Well we will deal with that later. Right now we need to get Rebecca home. I keep getting frantic text messages." Frank suggested.

"Ugh. I have no desire whatsoever to explain to Daddy that I let the asswipe who kidnapped his daughter get away." Joe groaned.

"So we don't say anything tonight. Let them have their reunion." Frank said. "We can break the bad news tomorrow."

"If you say so." Joe sighed.

" I do. " Frank couldn't help but notice that Joe was still tightly wound, despite his outward appearance and seemingly calm conversations. The last thing his brother needed was to have to explain how the kidnappers had gotten by him. "Rebecca, we are taking you home now. You want to ride with Joanna, or one of us?"

Despite being sorely tempted to take him up on the offer and ask to ride with the dreamy blond one, Joanna seemed the better choice. So the two ladies said their goodbyes, Rebecca giving both men a grateful hug before disappearing with Joanna in her Suburban.

**A/n: **_Yeah uhh the real world got annoyingly __insistent that I pay more attention to it than my writing. sorry it took so long to update. next couple chapters should go quicker. as in before Christmas . promise. _


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n: **_Apologies and explanations at the bottom. But hey! Happy new Year! _

**Chapter Four**

Joe waited until Joanna's car disappeared out of the gate before heading to his own black SUV. He got about two steps before his brother called him back. "What was that all about?" Frank asked, concern coloring his voice.

"What was what all about?" Joe asked, feigning ignorance.

"Joe. Don't play games with me. Joanna said you went off the deep end. Why?" Frank chided.

Joe started to deny it, but stopped as soon as he saw the look in his brother's eyes. He slumped back against his car, shrugging . "I dunno." he admitted softly. "I just took one look at that kid and the bomb and I saw red." He started pacing. "and then when Jo said Mattheson was taking care of a car bomb at the mall, well..."

"Too many bad memories?" Frank asked kindly.

"It's the one thing that really sends me over the edge." It was never easy to admit, even to his brother. But over the years he had learned to accept this one facet of his personality. He still didn't like the fact that it interfered with the job on occasion. Not even Dr Suitland had been able to get him fully over the traumatic events of all those years ago. Joe visibly changed mental gears and cast a steady look at his brother. "But we don't have time to deal with my problems. We need to get after those three goons."

"Tomorrow." Frank insisted. "It's late, and by now Rebecca is going to be home and in no mood to talk to us." Joe reluctantly conceded the wisdom of that remark and told his brother he'd be at the DA's house tomorrow morning. With a short wave to his brother, he got into his SUV and headed home.

The place was dark when he arrived, and he very quietly entered the house and crept upstairs. He stripped in the bathroom , leaving everything in a pile and hoping he wouldn't get yelled at for doing so in the morning. He was exhausted, but could not fall asleep, and eventually gave it up as a lost cause. He went downstairs and sat in the dark living room brooding over the night's events.

His wife found him there the next morning staring blindly into space. She knew he had had a breakthrough on his latest case the night before but was concerned that all had not gone well. She also knew from past experience that trying to draw him into conversation, of any sort, while in one of his moods, was less than useless. So all she did was plant a quick, light kiss on the top of his head and murmur "Good morning" before heading onto the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. He was still in the same position 15 minutes later when she retuned with a pair of coffee mugs in hand. "Will you be wanting breakfast?" she asked and she handed over the darker of the two mugs, as he drank his coffee black and she favored hazelnut creamer.

"Don't you have to be at work?" he asked as he accepted the morning nectar of the gods.

"Funny how being the Boss Lady has it's perks." she responded pertly. "The only meetings with clients today are Phil's territory. He doesn't need me there fussing over the bottom line." she curled up next to him on the couch, tucking her legs neatly underneath as she leaned in against his shoulder. Joe automatically lifted his arm around hers to bring her closer in. "So I am at your disposal, Sir." by saying this, she tacitly indicated she'd be here for him if he needed. He responded by squeezing her gently and softly brushing his lips against her cheek.

"Much as I'd love to be spoiled by a nice sour cream coffee cake or some apple cider donuts, I gots things to do today, Love." he smiled in thanks at the offer. "Cleaning up last night's mess." he finished sourly.

"Did it not go as planned?" she asked with a tinge of alarm. She knew it involved a kidnapping of a young girl but not any specifics.

"Yes, and no. We got the kid back safe and in one piece, but everyone else got away, including someone who may have been the ringleader. We'll need to question the kid at some point, and the longer we wait, the more likely it is she'll forget some important detail that we need."

"Is that what's bugging you? The fact that they got away?"

Joe looked at her with a carefully blank face. "That's part of it, yes." he admitted slowly. She didn't need to be told that there was something else, and whatever it was, he wasn't going to share that information. It didn't bother her. She was well used to secrecy as the child of a military man. She trusted her husband to share what pertained to their relationship and she didn't need to know every single facet of his job.

"Oh well. Your loss. The cider is just about to go bad too. Donuts would have been the perfect thing to use it up."

"What about pork chops for dinner with that cider glaze you made last month?" he suggested. "Mom wanted the recipe she liked it so much."

"Sounds like a plan." she agreed amiably. "I am off for a shower then. Diner at the usual time ish?" not knowing what his schedule was like she kept the question open ended.

"Probably. I'll call if something comes up." Just then the door bell rang and Joe beat Halloran to the door.

"Please tell me you still have coffee left." Frank pleaded. "My machine died this morning."

"The horror!" Joe laughed as he stepped aside to let his brother in. " I _suppose_ I could spare a cup. Can't have you falling asleep in the middle of a conversation."

"Nope." Frank agreed with a grin. "But pour it into a travel mug and shave at least. We have a meeting in 20 minutes." he glanced at Halloran, who took the hint and excused herself upstairs to shower. "The DA is equal parts thrilled and furious and he wants us to get on their trail ten minutes ago. I told him we still needed to talk to Rebecca. He insists it happen at their house with him present."

Joe shrugged. "Fine by me. She'd be more at ease in familiar surroundings knowing she's safe. Give me ten." and he bounded upstairs. Hall was in the shower by then so he just grabbed his electric shaver and ran it over his face a few times while pawing through the closet. He chose a plain button down shirt and dark blue slacks but grabbed one of his 'funner' ties, a understate Taz print before sticking his head into the bathroom, wolf whistling his wife under the lather and telling her he'd be back for dinner. "Love you!" he said in goodbye.

Downstairs, Frank was pouring the dregs of the coffee into a travel mug. "Remind me to hit a Target or something before this day is done. I refuse to spend twelve bucks on Starbucks."

"Tim Hortons is better by a long shot." Joe retorted.

"We aren't Upstate enough for a Tim Horton's." was the rejoinder.

"So we open a Branch office in Syracuse" Joe blithely replied as he grabbed his coat, and keys and ushered his brother out he door. "Who's driving?"

**A/n: **_ so, this is like a week late. it's also way shorter than I intended, having wanted to wrap this up completely this chapter. _My only excuse/explantion is this.. sometime before the holiday I began ___having..issues..with my eye. It came to a head the day after Christmas but of course being a holiday weekend the federal government, and thus my medical care providers were all closed. the upshot is, I may or may not be going blind. They have identified the issue, and are hopeful they can salvage my vision to at least it's current state and not any worse. I really do feel a thousand percent better than I did a week go, and can actually spend time at the computer writing or otherwise doing stuff that requires me to actually see what I am doing. I am not a religious person, but your positive vibes would be greatly appreciated. I do hope that Santa was good to you( he was to me, I got a CRUISE for Christmas! ) and that 2015 does not suck. and yes Tim Hortons is a bazillion times better than Starbucks. _


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